I wrote this oneshot over the course of two particularly stressful days. Finishing it turned out to be quite the cathartic experience.
Resting atop the mossy shell of his faithful Torterra, Lucas gazed toward the starry night sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, only a crescent moon joined by countless brightly lit dots. With a relaxed sigh, the blue-haired youth thought back to the day's prior events. It was unquestionably one of the most memorable days of his life, and it all began with a simple letter.
Sure, the letter was from the professor Oak, Kanto and Johto's foremost pokémon authority, but Lucas never in his wildest dreams expected it to lead to what it did. All it said was to meet him at route 224, a coastal route to the northeast of the Sinnoh Pokémon League. The boy was certainly skeptical, he'd been to the route before, and besides having a somewhat conspicuous looking boulder with a flat surface, it didn't seem all that noteworthy.
Still, one doesn't receive an invitation from professor Oak and turn it down. While it was a pain traversing through Victory Road yet again, Lucas endured. He wasn't Sinnoh's champ for nothing after all. Upon reaching the route, it didn't take long for the boy to figure out where he was headed. That boulder was conspicuous looking for a reason it seemed.
Once he'd made his way to the end of the route, he caught sight of Oak examining the boulder. Before he could offer a greeting however, he was interrupted by a sudden presence.
"I... I don't like to talk..." the newcomer, an elegant looking girl with short black-hair, dressed in a frilly black and white dress, spoke. Her name was Marley, and Lucas had met her not long before that day. In fact, it was only a few weeks earlier that the two teamed up and traveled through Victory Road to reach this very route. Lucas remembered thinking she was quite pretty – albeit reserved and somewhat cold – and she was certainly a powerful trainer if her Arcanine was anything to go by.
"I choose my words carefully, but they may still hurt someone accidentally... When I think of that, I clam up... That's why I think this certain pokémon is so wonderful."
Remembering those words, Lucas chuckled to himself. Oak had invited him there, yet the boy had no idea what the heck for, and here this girl comes along – completely unaffiliated with Oak, mind you – and she apparently knows everything.
"It's a pokémon that conveys the feelings of gratitude in a nice way..."
Lucas stammered slightly after she finished, but the girl abruptly passed him before he could respond. Once she made her way to the boulder, she became completely enamored with it. Oak offered Marley a brief glance, then looked expectantly to Lucas.
With a deep gulp, Lucas nodded before approaching the boulder. "Ah, Lucas! It's good to see you!" Oak beamed as the boy drew closer. "Without any further ado, I'd like you to examine this stone tablet. Something just like it was also discovered in the Kanto region."
Lucas rolled his eyes. That's what that old coot called him out here for? To examine a stupid rock? Sure, it did end up serving an amazing purpose, but how was he supposed to know that at the time?
"I want to ask for your help in solving the mystery behind this. I tried deciphering the engravings on the stone tablet. Apparently, it is for a trainer to engrave his or her thoughts after growing as a person on an adventure."
Talk about tacky.
"A trainer fitting that description would be you." Lucas wasn't completely sure on that one. There had to be thousands of people in Sinnoh alone just like him. Sure, being the regional champ was quite the accomplishment, but "growing as a person?" Doesn't that happen to almost everyone who goes on an adventure? It's not like adventures are all that uncommon in this world.
"That's why I'm asking you for your help," Oak continued. "You've met many people and pokémon; you've experienced many things that shaped you into the person you are. I want you to sincerely tell me who affected you the most."
Who affected him the most? That wasn't an easy question for Lucas to answer.
"Tell me, to whom do you most want to say your thanks?"
Lucas just couldn't help it, he went speechless. There were so many people who impacted his life in profound ways; his mother, Barry, Dawn, professor Rowan, Looker, Cynthia… not to mention his pokémon. After a few minutes of deliberation, the boy looked to Oak with an assured expression.
"I know it's cliché," Lucas began, "but I'll choose my mom. She's done far more for me than anyone else; she's responsible for me being the person I am."
"You're absolutely certain of that?" Oak asked.
A silent nod was the boy's answer. In an instant, the boulder flashed in a blinding light; obscuring the entire route. Once the light dissipated, Lucas, Oak and Marley found themselves surrounded by gorgeous flowers. What once was an uninteresting, dirtied plateau, was now a wondrous garden. The changes didn't stop there, either. A flowery path that extended far beyond where the eye could see, materialized past the boulder – seemingly out of thin air.
The trio were snapped out of their shock when a small, white and green, hedgehog-looking creature emerged from the newly created path. The creature and Lucas locked eyes for what seemed like a lifetime. Just as the boy readied himself to approach, the creature dashed off across the flowery path.
"What was that pokémon?!" Oak exclaimed. Lucas had no clue, but he had an inkling that Marley might know. "Is it somehow connected to the stone tablet?"
That's a professor for ya; always asking the real tough questions. Lucas remembered struggling to bite back a sardonic remark.
"Hmm… where did that pokémon go? Its destination is intriguing…" Oak mused.
The boy folded his arms and looked in the direction the pokémon had left. Just how far did that path go? It seemed to stretch on endlessly.
"Thank you…" Marley suddenly said, startling Lucas, "…That must have been the pokémon that conveys the feelings of gratitude…" He looked to her; she was smiling. It wasn't a wide smile, nor was it a toothy smile, but it was a warm, soft kind of smile. The kind of smile that no matter what your troubles, makes you feel like everything is right in the world.
"You made it so I could see it… so, I'll have to convey thanks in my own words, too…"
Lucas reached out an arm, opened his mouth, but no words came.
"To you, too… thank you…"
Lowering his hand, Lucas returned her smile. "Don't mention it," he replied casually, before turning to professor Oak. The two exchanged a quick look, followed by a nod from Oak. Lucas understood completely; he mounted his bike, then raced off in pursuit of that mystical pokémon.
Grumbling to himself, the boy decided it was about time to stop reminiscing. You see, something rather embarrassing happened after he'd caught up with that pokémon.
He didn't have any poké balls.
Upon discovering this, he rightly panicked. The pokémon, Shaymin was its name, looked ready for a fight. Figuring that it wasn't going to wait for him to fly off to the city to buy supplies, he sent out his Torterra. Given all the buildup prior to this, Lucas was expecting some sort of grand showdown; a true clash of the titans.
Well, Lucas' expectations were a little off; the battle was completely anticlimactic. The Shaymin was obviously inexperienced when it came to battle and went down from a single crunch. Once it fainted, the pokémon teleported away – how it did that while unconscious, Lucas had no clue – leaving a frustrated trainer and a confused Torterra in its wake.
Back in the present, Lucas removed his beret – placing it on his chest – to scratch his hair. "Stupid Oak, not telling me I was gonna see a super rare pokémon…" he muttered to himself before chuckling at his own folly. The circumstances were irritating for sure, but in all honesty, he was lucky to have seen Shaymin period.
"What can I say," the trainer began, resting the back of his head on his hands, "despite everything, I'm still grateful. Guess the pokédex is right, it is the gratitude pokémon."
"Lucas… you're still here?"
An inquisitive looking Marley emerged from the darkness. Lucas turned his head slightly to lock eyes with the black-haired girl. There was something about the way her face looked in the moonlight; it looked absolutely serene, delicate to the touch. "Yeah, I've just been relaxing and thinking about things."
Marley didn't speak as she walked closer to Lucas and his Torterra. The grass pokémon shot the girl a curious look; in turn, Marley raised an eyebrow. 5 seconds later and the Torterra shut his eyes, eager to return to his nap.
"How did things go with… you know?"
Lucas sat himself up, causing his beret to fall gently into his lap. Letting out a few weak laughs, he looked to the ocean. "Shaymin? I didn't catch it, if that's what you're wondering."
She looked slightly concerned. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucas looked to her with a smirk. "Not really," he answered, before patting Torterra's shell, "but if you're really interested, I'll tell."
Smiling slightly, Marley nodded. She carefully climbed up Torterra's slumbering body, eventually settling down on an unoccupied spot to Lucas' right. The pokémon truly was massive; he was large even by Torterra standards. Definitely a stark contrast to the runt of a Turtwig he was when Lucas first picked him.
Marley turned to face Lucas, a curious glint in her eyes. Her expectant look as well as their close proximity served to redden the boy's cheeks. "You're probably gonna laugh at me, but I…" Lucas trailed off, expecting Marley to chime in. A long, awkward silence followed, which was eventually broken by a sigh.
"…forgot to bring any poké balls."
Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and her mouth formed a small O-shape. Instead of laughing, she simply brought a finger to her chin and looked pensive. "Is that so?"
Lucas looked bewildered at Marley's nonchalant reaction. "Really? Aren't you gonna make fun of me for forgetting something so basic? What kind of trainer, let alone champion, forgets to carry poké balls of all things?! I'm an idiot!"
Before he could continue his rant, Marley gingerly grasped his right hand in both hers. The sudden gesture shot a not-at-all unpleasant sensation through Lucas. "You're not an idiot," she sternly assured him. "You are… courageous, strong and kind. You showed me that not only when you helped me in Victory Road, but when you called upon Shaymin."
"Marley…?"
She squeezed his hand firmly. "This isn't… easy for me to say, but I… admire you. I'm very grateful to have met you."
Lucas was awestruck. Never had he heard her say so many words at once, and they were all so heartfelt. He honestly wasn't even bothered by failing to capture Shaymin anymore, he was just being his usual self-deprecating self. But still, Marley felt the need to cheer him up, to spill her guts and reveal just how highly she thought of him.
"I'm grateful for having met you, too," Lucas said with a sincere smile. Marley removed her right hand from the boy's but remained holding his hand with her left. As if in perfect sync, the two simultaneously tightened their grips and squeezed. No more words needed to be spoken; the two laid down on Torterra's shell, gazing out into the endless sky.
As the hours passed, both boy and girl drifted off into peaceful slumber. Not long after dawn broke, Lucas began to stir. Cracking his eyes open, he couldn't help but smile; throughout the night, neither he nor Marley had let go of the other's hand. Such a simple show of affection, but for Lucas, it meant the world. For the next several minutes, he silently observed her sleeping face. The blue-haired boy couldn't help but giggle whenever her nose would twitch every now and then in an adorable fashion.
Before long, Marley awoke as well. As her eyelids slowly pried themselves apart, she was greeted with Lucas' friendly smile. "Morning," he whispered. The black-haired girl turned slightly to release a yawn, then returned to face him.
"Good morning."
Lucas averted his gaze, placing his left hand under his head. "So, what happens now?" He suddenly asked, prompting Marley to raise an eyebrow. "Do we go our separate ways and wait for fate to have us meet again? Or do we ride off into the sunset hand in hand like some cheesy romance flick?"
Marley remained still and silent, as if in deep thought. Roughly about 30 seconds later, she flashed a mischievous grin. Releasing his hand, she edged closer to the boy. While initially disappointed by the loss of contact, Lucas found the tickle of her warm breath against his cheek to be a palatable substitute.
Wrapping her right arm around his chest, Marley drew her face in close, pressing her soft lips against Lucas' now bright red cheek. The boy was on cloud nine, and couldn't help the dumb, giddy-looking smile that spread across his face.
"For now, why don't we just relax for a bit longer?"
With a yawn, Lucas draped his own right arm over her back. "Sounds good to me."
They were two souls; one, an adventurous young boy with humble beginnings. The other; a shy, insecure girl with a desire to better express herself. They met seemingly by random chance, but fate made very clear their paths were destined not just to converge, but for something far greater.